Automatic tympan-gage



1. s. MERKlNS.-

AUTOMATIC TYMPAN GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC|27|1920.v 1,399,141. Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. S. MERKINS.

AUTOMATIC TYMPAN GAGE.

APPLlcAloN man nEc.21.192o.

1,399,141, Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

UNITED' STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JACOB S. MERKINS, OF GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIC TYMPAN-GAG-E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

Application led December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,265.

matic Tympan-Gages, of which the follow-v ing is a specification,reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to automatic tympan glvgQS.

An important object of the invention is to provide a tympan gage for usein platen presses whereby a minute adjustment of the paper may be madeupon the platen.

In the operation of platen presses equipped vith automatic feecers ofthe lililler type the shifting fork which positions the paper againstthe side guide, particularly if it happens to exercise too great a gripon the paper, often forces the paper against the side guide to such anextent that the paper when released by the fork bounces away from theside.

An important object of this invention, therefore, becomes to providemeans for overcoming the bounce of the paper. This I accomplish byhaving a side guide which is shiftable and which engages the paper andshifts the same in the opposite direction to which it is shifted by theforli a sutiicient distance to overcome the tendency to bounce, theengagement by the side guide being subsequent to the engagement by theshifting fork. A further object of the invention is to provide animproved construction of the side guide and to provide an adjustablemounting for the side guide suport.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentthroughout the course of the following description:

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, and wherein like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a plan view Aof a platen having my 'guide applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the shiftable bar and guide rod;

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof;

F ig. 4i is a section on the line fle-4 of Fig. 2; l

E10'. 5 is a section of the line 5 5 of Y1- b nig. 8, and

'Fien 6 is a section of the line 6-6 of a: Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10indicates the platen of a press upon which the usual tympan T is held bythe tympan bails 11. The platen 10 is provided at the lower side thereofwith the usual gripper bar 12 upon which are adjustably mounted theusual grippers 13 which engage the sheet of paper P during' the printingoperation to hold the same. The numeral 14e indicates the usual shiftingfork employed for positioning the sheet P against the guides Gr andagainst a side guide which is usually employed but not herein shown.This fork is actuated by the gripper bar through medium of a feed forliswing 15 to which the forlr 14 is secured. As is well known tothosefamiliar with the art, the movement of the gripper bar shifts theforli subsequently to the insertion therein of the sheet Pcausing thesheet to be moved against the side guide. The platen l0 is usuallysufficiently inclined to cause the sheet P to engage the stationaryguides G which are secured to the tympan T in the usual manner.

In accordance with my invention, I mount upon the lower edge of theplaten a bar 17 which embodies a body portion 18 provided withlongitudinal slots 19. Through these slots 19 headed elements 20 extendand engage in the bed of the platen 10, the bar 17 being slidable uponthe headed elements. It will be understood that two of the bars 17 willvbe provided, one at each side of the platen with respect to the feedfork swing 15. Each of the bars 17 is provided upon the upper surface ofthe body portion 18 thereof with a guide strip 21 having the form of adove tail tongue. This strip may either be formed integrallj with thebody portion 18 or be secured thereto in any suitable manner, the formof application being immaterial. The upper surface of the strip ortongue 21 is provided with Qraduations for a purpose presently toappear.

. Slidably mounted upon the guide rod 16 is character L and engages inthe tines of the shifting fork 15.` The normal action of theV The innerends of the bar 17 are provided with threaded apertures 22 adapted forthe reception of a securing member 23 which securing member forms apivotal mounting for one end of a tongue 24, the opposite end of whichis pivotally connected as by means of a screw 25 to the fork receivingsection 26 of the feed fork swing 15. From the foregoing it will be seenthat when the feed fork swing actuates the feed fork, the connectionbetween the swing 15 and the bar 17 will `cause the same to be shiftedlongitudinally toward the feed fork swing. It will also'be obvious thatas the feed fork swing continues its movement after the feed fork hasreleased the paper the bar 17 will continue its movement subsequently tothe shifting of the paper bv the feed fork.

The numeral 16V indicates a side guide rod which is mounted upon the bar17 through medium of a head 27 provided with a dovetail groove 28 whichslidably receives the tongue 21 of the bar 16. The rod 16 may beadjusted to any desired position. upon the bar 17 the adjusted positionbeing designated by the graduations upon the tongue 21 thereof and maybe held in such adjusted position by means of the set screw S or somesimilar expedient. The graduations upon the tongue 21 will represent thedistance from the edge or center of the platen as may be desired whenthe bar 17 has been shifted toward the center of the platen to itsfullest ext-ent by the feed fork swing 15.

a side guide 30 which is provided in its side walls with openings 31through which the rod 16 extends. The upper surface of the rod 16 isprovided with transversely extending graduations, as indicated at 29,which coact with a spring 32 carried by the side guide to hold the sideguide in. adjusted position. The side guide is likewise provided in itsside walls with a pair of alined openings 33 which slidably receive agage tongue 34 and hold the same in spaced relation to the tympan T.VThis gage tongue prevents the paper from jumping over the side guide.

In the operation of my device, the paper is fed to the platen and uponthe tympan R on a line approximately indicated by the shift-ing forktends to shift the paper to the line-approximately indicated b thecharacterM. The shifting of the swing 15, however, causes the bar 17 toshift longitudinally toward the center of the platen and, accordingly,to shiftthe guiderod 16 and guide 30 toward such center. The result isthat the guide 30 engaging the paper moves the paper back to a lineindicated by the. letter N. This amount of shifting is made sufficientto overcome any bounce of the pa'- per away from the side guide underthe impulse received from the fork 14, the paper being slidlongitudinally through medium of the guide 3() and being positioned veryreadily.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that I have provided a tympan gagewhich will very accurately position the paper upon the tympan and whichis automatic in its operation; and it will likewise be obvious thatthrough the construction hereinbefore set forth the maximumadjustability of the side guide is rendered possible. It willfurthermore be obvious that the construction as hereinbefore set forthis capable of many minor changes *without in vany manner departing from.the spirit of my invention and I, accordingly, do not limitimyself tosuch specific structure as hereinbefore set forth, except as limited ahythe sub-joinedclaims.

What I claim is: i

1. The combination with a platen, shifting fork for shifting a sheetupon the platen, an actuating mechanism for the shifting forl, of a sidegage against which the sheet is shiftedby Vthe shifting fork, and meansfor shifting the side gage to move the sheet in a direction opposite. tothe direction of movement imparted thereto byv the shifting fork. 'l

2; The combination with a platen, shifting fork for shifting a sheetupon the platen` an actuating mechanism yupon the shifting fork, ofaside gage against which the sheet is shifted by the shifting fork, andmeans actuated by the actuating mechanism for the shifting fork forshifting said side gage in a direction opposite to the direction ofmovement imparted 4.to the sheet by the shifting fork.

3. rllhe combination with a platen, shifting fork for shifting a sheetupon the platen, an actuating mechanism for the shifting fork, of a sidegage and means actuated by the actuating mechanism for: the shiftingfork for shifting the said gage in a direction opposite the direction ofmovement imparted to the sheet by the shiftingforh subsequently to theshifting thereto -by said shifting fork.

l1. In combination with a press embodying al platen, a gage, a sheetshifting fork op'- erating upon the .platen and operating to shift thesheet to be printedfto engage said gage, of means for shifting the gagein a direction opposite to that in which the sheet is shifted by theshifting fork subsequently to its shifting by said shifting fork.

5. Incomb-ination with a press embodying a platen and a sheetshiftingkfork operating` upon the platen and operating to shift the sheet to beprinted in one direction and actuating means for said fork, of meansactuated by said fork actuating means for shifting the sheet in adirection opposite" to that in which it is shifted by the shifting forksubsequently to its shifting by said shifting fork.

6. 'l ie combination With a platen, of a bar slidably mounted upon oneedge thereof, a feed forli swing', a link connecting said feed forkswing and said bar, a guide rod adjustably mounted upon said bar and aside guide carried by said guide rod.

'.7. rEhe combination With a platen, of a graduated bar slidably mountedupon one edge thereof, a feed fork, a swing therefor, a guide rodadjustably mounted upon said bar, the side guide adjustable upon saidguide rod, actuating means for said feed fork and means connecting saidactuating means and said bar whereby' said bar is shifted in a directionopposite to the swing of said feed fork.

S. The combination with a platen, of a graduated bar slidably mountedupon one edge thereof, a feed fork, a swing therefor, a guide rodadjust-ably mounted upon said bar, the side guide adjustable upon saidguide rod, actuating means for said feed fork and means connecting saidactuating means and said bar whereby said bar is shifted in a. directionopposite to the swing of said feed fork subsequently to the operativeswing of said feed fork.

9. The combination with a platen and a feed fork adapted to shift asheet upon the platen in one direction, of a slidably mounted bar, aguide adjustably mounted on the bar, a side guide carried by said guide,and means for shifting said bar in a direction opposite to the directionof movement imparted to the sheet by said feed fork.

10. The combination with a platen and a feed forl adapted to shift asheet upon the platen in one direction, of a slidablv mounted bar, a.guide adjust-ably mounted on the bar, a side guide carried by saidguide, and means for shifting said bar in a direction opposite to thedirection of movement imparted to the sheet by said feed forksubsequently to the shifting of the sheet by said feed fork.

l1. The combination with a platen, of a bar slidably mounted upon oneedge thereof, a feed fork swing, a link connecting said feed fork swing'and said bar, a guide rod adjustably mounted upon said bar, and sideguide adjustably mounted upon the guide rod.

12. rlhe combination with a tympan covered platen, a side guide slidablyengaging the face of the tympan, a feed fork adapted to engage a sheetand shift the same to engage said side guide, and means for shiftingsaid side guide in a direction opposite to the direction of movementimparted to the sheet by the fork subsequently to the movement of thesheet by the fork.

13. The combination with a platen, a stop associated with the platen andmeans for shifting a sheet in one direction upon the platen to engagethe stop, of means operating subsequently to the first named means forshifting the sheet in the opposite direction.

14e. The combination with a platen, of means for shifting the sheet uponthe platen in one direction, means for subsequently shifting the sheetin the opposite direction and common actuating mechanism for both ofsaid means.

15. The combination With a platen, a stop associated with the platen andmeans for shifting a sheet upon the platen to engage the stop, of meansfor shifting the stop subsequently to the shifting of the sheet in saiddirection to shift the sheet in the opposite direction.

16. The combination with a platen, a stop associated With the platen andmeans for shifting a sheet upon the platen to engage the stop, of meansfor shifting the stop subsequently to the shifting of the sheet in saiddirection to shift the sheet in the opposite direction, and commonoperating means for both of said sheet shifting means.

In testimony whereof l hereunto aii'ix my signature.

JACOB S. MERKINS.

